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Bella turned her gaze toward the horizon through the window, her expression turning serious.

"Crimson Demon City is a hub for ancient treasures, trade, and human slavery merchants. It is ruled by Demon Lord Crimson—a being infamous for his mastery of the Crimson Flame of Destruction. He is an extremely dangerous individual. My father, Duke Belial, along with twenty-six other dukes, serves him as if he were a king."

"Demon Lord Crimson?"

Aengus furrowed his brows, sensing the gravity of the situation. He found the prospect a bit troubling. Although his power had increased, it still paled in comparison to Bella's raw strength, let alone that of Duke Belial and the other Demon Lords.

He realized that he had a long way to go before he could truly contend with such formidable forces.

"Do you want to go there?" Bella asked, her voice curious yet cautious.

Aengus paused, his gaze distant before he finally responded. "Yes, but not right now. Leave me alone for some time," he said, his tone flat as he entered his room, shutting the door behind him.

Bella stood there, slightly taken aback by his sudden coldness. "Ah, sure… darling," she muttered, her voice trailing off as she watched him disappear into his chamber. What's wrong with him all of a sudden? she thought, concern flashing across her face.

Her eyes fell on Maid Donna, who stood fidgeting nervously in the distance.

"Guard the door, Donna. I'm going to send a message to the Fortress City," Bella ordered sternly, her commanding tone leaving no room for argument.

"Yes, Lady Bellfrost," Maid Donna replied, straightening up as she moved to stand obediently outside Aengus's door,

---

Aengus sat cross-legged on the cold, dimly lit floor, feeling the weight of the challenges ahead. He had sensed Donna's presence just outside the door but dismissed it. It didn't matter right now. What mattered was preparing himself for the battles that awaited him.

The pressure was mounting. He knew it.

The ancient Red Serpent Deity's influence loomed like a shadow in the back of his mind. There was also the inevitable clash with noble-bloods and Bella's father's forces once he sought the Marquis title. Visiting Crimson Demon City would be perilous, not to mention his final goal—entering the human lands.

For that, he needed more power.

He pulled out several space bracelets, the spoils of war from the demonic tribes, fallen humans, and conquered villages. Twenty… thirty of them. A small smirk crept across his lips. Each bracelet was filled with resources, and now, they were his.

Using his Appraisal ability, Aengus scanned through the contents of each bracelet. Nearly 2-3 million demonic cores. The majority were low-grade, but there was a decent number of mid-grade cores, and even some high-grade ones.

70% low-grade, 25% mid-grade, 5% high-grade... That'll do for now.

He also found a few basic items, Mana orbs, Holy Elemental swords. Nothing extraordinary, but useful nonetheless. Weapons weren't easy to come by in the demon lands. Most demons usually fought barehanded or relied on their monstrous forms, so his current C-grade blade wasn't going to cut it in the long run.

Aengus began the synthesis process, using his Universal Synthesis skill to fuse the demonic cores into high-grade ones, absorbing the potent essence they carried.

High-grade cores contained ten times the essence of low-grade ones. Inside his stomach, as he absorbed their energy into his body, a surge of strength rushed through him, his veins pulsing with raw demonic power.

His mind focused on one goal—becoming strong enough to face whatever came next.

Aengus' body was ablaze with power as he absorbed demonic core after demonic core. Familiar notifications flooded his mind, a rhythmic hum of accomplishment:

+1 Core Absorbed… +5… +10… +30… +80… +150… +300… +500…

He pushed himself until he hit 999 high-grade cores, the maximum his body could handle. The energy coursing through his veins was intoxicating, but there was a clear limit to how much his body could absorb without tearing itself apart. Even with his increased potential of body and endurance, he could feel the strain.

His muscles ached, and his skin felt like it was burning from the inside out. He was stronger now, no doubt—significant stat points and an immense amount of Nether Energy had been added to his reservoir—but his body screamed for rest. He knew better than to push further. The power he had gained needed to be adjusted into.

"Enough," Aengus muttered, his voice hoarse from the strain. He could feel the vast energy swirling within him, waiting to be used, but he needed time.

He checked his basic Stats:

[ Strength: 1204 ]

[ Agility: 1230 ]

[ Defense: 1300 ]

[ Mana: 65,000/130,000 ]

[ Nether Energy: 65,000/ 130,000 ]

---

"Rumble!"

Without realizing it, Aengus placed his hand on the floor, and the sheer force of his touch sent cracks spiraling outward, collapsing the ground beneath him into a deep pit.

A throbbing headache crept in. He still wasn't used to his newfound strength. Managing such raw power would take time. Until then, even the slightest touch could shatter anything around him into dust.

"Lord, what happened?" Maid Donna rushed in upon hearing the thunderous crash.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw the gaping pit beside Aengus. At first, she thought it was a display of anger, but his calm, emotionless expression left her bewildered.

Still seated, Aengus glanced at her, his voice as cold as ice. "Nothing happened. Leave."

"Ah, y-yes, my lord..." Donna stammered, backing out of the room and shutting the door. Her heart raced; for a moment, she felt a crushing pressure radiating from Aengus—the same overwhelming force she once felt from Bella.

"Lord Aengus has grown even stronger... Will he ever forgive me?" she whispered to herself. Then, with steely resolve, she muttered, "No. I will earn his forgiveness, no matter what."

---

"It's time for synthesizing the Skills and Abilities!"

Inside, Aengus started another round of synthesizing for using his energy for more destructive and useful mediums.